Summary: Astoria took notice of a customer who had no routine or usual, yet she never knew his name and he always came whenever it was her shift. Coffeeshop!AU

Rated: K+

Genre: General, Friendship

Warning Tag: n/a

Competition/Challenge Block:
Written For: Monthly Challenges for All (Year 3); Hogwarts (Term 14)

Hogwarts: Ravenclaw; A.7 - DIY & Home Repairs #1: Write about taking on a big responsibility.

MC4A: Sp Bingo (1B-Goblet/Chalice); Ship Bingo (4B-Eat the Eye Candy); Chimera; Link; FPC (Not a Lamp; Ladylike; Persistence Still); Star (Pocky Pockets); Fence (Machismo); ICs (Short Jog (Y); Bucket Listing (Y); Two Cakes (Y); Eating Cake (Y); Green Ribbon (Y); Rian-Russo Inversion; Setting Sail; Zed Era (Y); Slytherin MC; Ravenclaw MC; Magical MC; Coffee Life; Old Shoes (Y)

Word Count: 1,557

Dragon Arch Coffee & Cakes

Astoria wasn't pleased having to cover the evening shift for a coworker when they called in sick that afternoon. Working a double wasn't exactly something she found herself doing regularly, but it wasn't one she wanted to make a habit of, either. She already reluctantly accepted the floating shifts, which was a mistake on her part, but people could sniff out weakness from a mile away to take advantage of it, and she wasn't going to allow it to happen to her again.

Though, almost everyone at the Dragon Arch Coffee & Cakes were friendly enough, it was still a place where one would find a knife in their back if they weren't careful. High society places like where the coffee shop was nestled in was intended for those who were well off in life, but they were also the same people who were conniving. Her coworkers and boss were no different.

One of their usual customers came in when Astoria had just returned from her lunch and she stepped up in front of the register since the rest of the team were busy with other drinks. It was evening rush hour, after all.

Astoria recognized him by his platinum blond hair and startling silver-grey eyes. She always wondered if he was some kind of angel (or a fallen one since his features were also sharp-looking) based on his tall, lean appearance and the way he carried himself. He always had a leather briefcase with him, and he always seemed to show up when she was working, which was odd because she had the floating shift. He was unpredictable in his schedule and his drink of the day, which made him memorable to her, anyway. Her colleagues barely knew who she would talk about most of the time, being just another face blended into a crowd due to the lack of consistency their other regulars had.

"How may I help you today?" she asked with a smile.

He perused the menu above her head, but she could tell that he already seemed disheveled and stressed. Knowing that their menu could be daunting when indecisive or distracted, she waited a couple beats before speaking again.

"If I may suggest our macchiato? It's strong, but still has a soft sweetness to it."

He smirked lightly at her, dropping a handful of sickles in the tip jar. "Sounds great."

"Perfect," Astoria said, trying to not blush at the gesture. "Would you like it here or to go?"

"Here, please."

"Alright, I'll have it at your table shortly, sir," she said, accepting his payment and watching him head for the table positioned in the far corner.

She got to work on the simple drink, adding an extra shot to the chalice-like glass she chose for good measure before making a simple leaf pattern with the foamed milk on the top. Gabbing a sprig of mint, Astoria placed it on the saucer beside the glass and proceeded to head for the table where he sat down at.

"Here you are." She placed it down in front of him. "Is there anything else you'd like for me to get? Baklava? Lemon tart?"

He raised a brow at her and it took everything she had to hold her composure. "Baklava? What is that?"

"It's a layered pastry of nuts and filo sweetened with honey," Astoria explained. "It has Medaterranian roots to it. I make the—we make it here fresh daily with the rest of our pastries, but I was the one who suggested it and brought in my own recipe."

She felt her cheeks flush slightly, realizing that she was rambling—gloating?—it didn't matter, it was embarrassing regardless. All he asked was what it was, not a life story on it. Swallowing hard, she tried to find a reason to get away quickly.

"I apologize, I should be heading back. Evening rush and all." Astoria went to walk away but froze, realizing he hadn't actually said if he wanted anything or not. "I'll just be at the counter if you need something."

Bad save by not allowing him to speak, but she darted back to the register, feeling his silver-grey eyes following her as she did. Well, he was most likely not going to interact with her ever again. It was the first time she actually took his order herself, usually she was busy making drinks when he came in to order, but that didn't stop her from listening in to try and pinpoint a favourite drink each time. This was her chance to speak to him and she went and overdid it right out the gate.

It was the weekend and Astoria had to work right through it. Both days were night shifts, which was okay with her since she got a lot of good tips from the evening rush. She also managed to avoid taking the angelic man's order, yet still found herself making it regardless. After her first direct encounter with him being an utter disaster, she was glad to limit interactions with him. It didn't stop him from smiling at her, though, and she was left flustered every time.

He didn't stop coming in whenever she worked, no matter the shift, Astoria noticed, but it didn't bother her. His drinks were still all over the menu, from sweet to savory, and he never added anything else to it despite the dinner hour that often lapsed while he was there. She also saw he stayed until closing time whenever she worked nights. Most would find it creepy or think the person was stalking them, but she didn't think too much into it or want to jump to uncomfortable conclusions about a customer.

Starting to feel a bit bad from their last encounter, Astoria went to switch the sign and saw that he was gathering his papers back into his suitcase. "You can stay, if you'd like. I still have a bit of cleaning to do."

"I don't want to impose," he said, looking away from his paperwork to gaze at her.

"You won't. You seem to be in the middle of something important, and I'd hate for you to end it early," she said, smiling.

He returned the smile. "Thank you."

Astoria collected his empty chalice-like glass that had a macchiato in it and went to finish cleaning the machines and dishes. In the process, she prepared two cappuccinos and placed her signature dragon designs on them with the milk and brought it out to him.

"Would you mind if I joined you?"

He looked surprised, but nodded, eying the two mugs in her hand. She placed one gently next to him before putting her own down and sat. He looked between the hot beverage and her, confused.

"I wanted to apologize for my rudeness last time. I don't normally behave like that," Astoria explained, feeling herself blush slightly. "My name is Astoria, by the way."

He held out his hand over the table and she accepted it. "Nice to finally know your name, Astoria. I'm Draco."

Her eyes lit up at the name. She'd have never guessed that name. "Oh, like the constellation? That's lovely!"

Draco chuckled. "And yours is derived from Greek mythology, correct? Astraea?"

She nodded, realizing that she was rambling again. "Well, it's nice to officially meet you, Draco."

He had moved the cappuccino into his hands, taking in the design in the drink. "Beautiful art. I'd hate to ruin it."

Astoria pushed hers toward him. "You can have mine to look at."

"Thank you. This certainly was an unexpected birthday treat."

"It's your birthday?" She asked, eyes lighting up. "Why are you working so hard here and not out celebrating?"

He shrugged, turning his attention to his paperwork. "I don't like making it a big deal anymore. And I am working against a deadline to present my proposal for sustainable wand product contracts to start up my business."

"That sounds amazing." Astoria got up then putting a hand up in front of her. "One moment."

She ran to the back where she had put that day's pastries and grabbed a few pieces of baklava and a candle. She placed it between two pieces on the plate and brought it back out to Draco who sipped at his cappuccino, focused on the paper he held.

"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to Draco, Happy birthday to you," she sang, setting the plate down in front of him and lighting the candle with wandless magic.

She could see his cheeks pinken from the gesture, turning his gaze to the treat in front of him up to her.

"You really don't have to do this," he said, embarrassment lacing and his voice.

"Birthdays are meant to be celebrated," she said, sitting back down. "And I thought you'd like to try the baklava I suggested before."

He smirked, blowing out the candle before picking up one of the small pieces with his fingers and gracefully popped it in his mouth. She waited eagerly for his feedback. He appeared to be contemplating the flavor of it before washing it down with a sip of the coffee.

"It is delicious. And thank you."

The appreciation didn't seem to be for the food and drink, havingAstoria curious. She tilted her head slightly. "For what?"

"For allowing me to know you."